Live

We Have Band, French Horn Rebellion

Steven Morgan 24/09/2009

(Part of the Disco Not Disco) festival.

As a child, I grew up going to a lot of pantomimes. I enjoyed the spectacle of it all, the knowing humour that played to its predictability, the over exaggerated spectacles and caricatures, the way that each part of the show had its own distinct purpose. French Horn Rebellion appeal to the child within us all. Not to detract from their excellent self-titled debut album, but on stage this is a band who love to entertain. We're only treated to a smattering of highlights from the LP, including the currently hyped "Up All Night" but with it's recording now so long ago it's understandable that they play a fair amount of new material too. A big part of me doesn't want to deconstruct the show in words read through tired eyes on a monitor screen, they've got another 3 dates in London coming up over the next week and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. By the end of the show, most of the audience are either enamoured or confused, but definitely not bored. If you like your 80s synth pop performed with unabashed enthusiasm, stop wasting time here and go see this band, you won't regret it.

By the time We Have Band hit the stage, the crowd are riled and in the mood for dancing. Their rhythmic disco rock is the perfect solution. With their debut album currently being recorded, the newer songs show more breadth to their sound, though for tonight, it's the disco bass lines and catchy tunes in tracks like 'Oh!' and 'You Came Out' that the crowd want to hear. The unabashed enthusiasm from the crowd suggests a bright future for the band who look genuinely affected by the scale of the positive reaction. One obsessive stands proudly at the front spinning their LED fan which reads "We ♥ We Have Band" as their painted face gleams from the band's acknowledgement. These songs were written to be danced to, and it's on stage that the music really comes into its own. Alas it's only the contributions from Dede WP that feel token to the sound, which is odd considering they're just a three piece. Restricted to occasional sultry vocals, beating a tambourine or occasionally hitting sample pads with a drum stick, there's little she does that couldn't be incorporated to what's already present in the backing track. This is merely a triviality though when you consider their multitude of damn good songs. With so many of them holding their own, the closing cover of West End Girls feels unnecessary but after all that preceded it, they've earned the indulgence.